Plant Geek

Monday, April 29, 2013

Spring time fun: alpaca shearing

Ahh, spring is here! We all seem just a little more thankful for the warmer temperatures after the snowfall last week. Snow in late-April is a bit of a trial for people desperate for warm temperatures and time outside. It also adds a layer of complications to shearing alpacas.

Last Tuesday, we were scheduled to join our friends on their farm for shearing day. This is always a much anticipated day and involves a lot of logistics to trailer our animals back and forth. I had to work and we made arrangements for my mom and dad to help my husband. They are experienced alpaca shearing day helpers and really generous with their time.

At 5 a.m., we started prepping. I needed to be in the shower by 6 a.m., so we got an extra early start. We haltered all of the animals and put them in the trailer in the middle of a wintery mix of precipitation. We were hoping that the snow would pass us by and if not, the trailer would keep everyone dry. Worse case scenario? We would get everyone sheared and put all of their fiber out to dry on tarps in our garage.

I left for work and called my husband to say that the roads were wet and starting to get slushy. By the time he left, the roads were really slick. He saw several car accidents and decided that he needed to turn around. We ended up postponing shearing until the next day.

What to do with the alpacas? If we took them back to the barn, they were going to need to somehow dry out. I was too cold to use the fan that we use during the summer to keep them cool. My husband sent me a text to say that he had a plan! He built a makeshift pen in our garage and put them up there for the night. They ended up drying out and staying out of trouble.

The next morning, we loaded everyone up again. The day was cold in the morning, but the sunshine warmed us up. I am still a wimp; I wore three layers of pants and three layers on top, including my huge winter chore jacket.

Once we got there, everything fell into place.

Four farms came together for this shearing day. Read about last year's shearing for more about the process.

This year we had three guys on the shearing crew from New Zealand. They work very quickly and do a great job. It is an added bonus to get to hear their accents.

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Prairie School Farms

Where to find us

Our physical location is a two story limestone building at 5th and Main in Westmoreland, KS. Renovations are ongoing, so please excuse the dust! We are occasionally deep in the it-has-to-get-messier-before-it-gets-better phase. Stay tuned for updates on the progress. We also exhibit at several shows and events.

About Me

Prairie School Farms, LLC is a small business owned by Jeremy and Emily Lehning. They have a passion for finding antiques and vintage items. They also love farmer's markets, art, handmade and locally grown items. They believe that makers and creatives are some of the best people. Jeremy creates hand painted signs, repurposes furniture and other items into unique home decor pieces, and has an amazing eye for all things vintage. Emily comes from a long line of vintage treasure seekers. She loves styling and decorating and blends vintage, traditional and industrial items for a comfortable and classic feel. The couple loves to work in their garden and yard. Emily is a self-proclaimed plant geek. They have alpacas and offer all natural alpaca yarn, roving and handwoven rugs. These two don't live an ordinary life.